Hem flaring devices for dresses and the like



L. SHERMAN Sept. 18, 1962 HEM FLARING DEVICES FOR DRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 20. 1958 FIGA 'FIGA INVENTOR. y LOUISE s ERM/m W7 Q,

ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,054,114 HEM FLARING DEVICES FOR DRESSES AND THE LIKE Louise Sherman, 234 S. Wells St., Chicago, Ill. Filed Oct. 20, 1958, Ser. No. 768,457 2 Claims. (Cl. 2-211) This invention relates to skirt hem flaring devices and more particularly to hem flaring devices for dresses and the like, although it may be employed with equal advantage for other purposes.

It contemplates more especially the provision of a reinforcing fabric strip in dress hems to impart thereto a limited flare and body outline Without rendering such objectionally rigid and awkward to wear.

This is accomplished with little additional material and labor so that it may be advantageously employed in inexpensive as well as the more expensive apparel. There is no intention of providing a permanent and rigid flare, but a moderate shape defining distender to insure attractive hanging dresses on even the youngest children whose activities would be thwarted by resort to flaring petticoats, crinolines, and hoop attachments that are too limiting and rigid for the younger girls of pre-teen age.

One object of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive hem reinforcing and aring strip for dresses and the like.

Another object is to provide a reinforcing strip of coarse fabric which has stifening properties to provide a flaring eect in dresses for pre-teen children for better style and appearance Without .appreciably changing the cost of the apparel.

Still another object is to provide a normally stiff strip of material such as a coarse weave nylon material in a hem of apparel to impart a limited flare and shapeliness thereto without appreciably increasing the cost of garments for pre-teen and teen-age children.

A further object is to provide a reinforcing fabric strip of normally stiffer material than the dress fabric as a hem reinforcing expedient for imparting a limited flare to dresses for the younger children of pre-teen age.

A still futrher object is to provide a coarse nylon strip of material or the like as an inside hem stiifener to provide flare and shape for childrens dresses.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an illustrated embodiment of the present invention.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a front fragmentary View in elevation of a skirt or dress garment embodying features of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view in elevation taken substantially along line II-II of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view in elevation similar to FIGURE 2, but with the hem stiffener occupying the entire hem space rather than somewhat elevated as shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view in elevation of a dress hem of FIGURES l and 2 as viewed from the interior with parts broken away to clarify the showing.

The structure selected for illustration is not intended to serve as a limitation upon the scope of the teachings of the present invention, but is merely illustrative thereof. There may be considerable variations and adaptations of all or part of the teachings depending upon the dictates of commercial practice.

The present embodiment comprises a dress or skirt of the usual bottom are or expanse, but which ordinarily will droop or hang shapeless with fabrics of a thin or delicate texture from which childrens dresses are usually fabricated. An initial hem stitch line 11 is sewn 3,054,114 A Patented SeptalS, 1962 around the dress lower edge to secure a reinforcing strip such as .a coarse nylon normally stiff strip 12. The lower edge region is then reversely folded as at and along 13 by the inturned ply 10 to provide a hem that is sewn in position along length control stitch line 14 to suspend the hem and its reinforcing strip 12 above the lower fold edge 13 so that there will be a space 16 below the lowermost edge 15 of the reinforcing strip 12 (FIGURE 2). This space 16 will enable the dress to be shortened or lengthened without disturbing the reinforcing strip 12 and its retaining stitch line 11 along the entire circumference of the dress 10. This provides an unstitched bottom fold edge 13 which insures that the garment will hang evenly and freely with the desired flare.

In the modified embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 3, the hem fold 13 abuts against the lower edge 15 of the reinforcing strip 12 so that the entire hem between the stitch line 11 and the fold 13 is occupied by the substantially rectangular reinforcing strip 12. This provides a more uniform appearance from the exterior and will irnpart a better flare to the dress, but lengthening or shortening is not possible without disturbing the reinforcing strip with this arrangement. It should be noted that any normally stiff material that lends body to the hem may be substituted for the course weave nylon band 12 so long as such is flexible, imparts a flaring tendency to the lower lines of the dress or skirt, and will yield upon impact or obstruction as the wearer proceeds in the normal fashion from place to place without being subjected to the awkwardness of rigid and non-collapsing hoops or equivalent distenders.

With the teachings of the normally yieldable, inexpensive and flare-sustaining hem reinforcing strip 12, a very inexpensive aring outline is provided at little additional expense so that even the low priced dresses for children can be made to look fashionable and pleasing in appearance. This strip 12 or its counterpart is inserted at the same time that the dress hem is sewn so that there is an inconsequential labor factor involved and a small material addition not at all out of line with the production costs of even the cheapest dresses for children. The decided improvement in style, shapliness, and appearance is appreciable, however, and the increased demand for such dresses will allow the manufacturer to absorb the minute additional cost of this feature.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of this invention, it must be understood that the invention is capable of considerable variation and modiiication without departing from the spirit of the invention. We, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves to and of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A skirt-type garment having a bottom hem fold providing an inturned ply, the said garment being of relatively thin material so that the bottom hem is normally insufficient to impart the desired hanging are to said garment, a course Woven normally stiff reinforcing strip stitched to said inturned ply along a line spaced from the peripheral edge thereof to depend downwardly therefrom toward the hem fold which defines the length of said garment, said inturned ply being in turn stitched to said garment at a greater distance from said hem fold than said reinforcing strip stitch line to enable the inturned ply to be varied in depth to control the garment length without interfering with said stifening strip.

2. A skirt-type garment having a bottom hem fold providing an inturned ply, the said garment being of relatively thin material so that the bottom hem is normally insufficient to impart the desired hanging flare to said garment, a course woven normally stiff reinforcing strip of single thilness stitched to said inturned ply along a line spaced from the peripheral edge thereof to depend downwardly therefrom toward the hem fold which defines the length of said garment, said inturned ply being in turn stitched to said garment at a greater distance from said hem fold than said reinforcing strip stitch line, said depending reinforcing strip being of lesser depth than said inturned ply to enable the latter to be variedrin depth to control the garment length without interfering with said stiiening strip.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 474,074 Young May 3, 1892 4 Sellers Dec. 6, Hanauer Apr. 2, Fuchs Feb. 13, Lyttle Aug. 17, Schlegel Apr. 19, Holshouser Sept. 13, Sumner et al. Dec. 16,

OTHER REFERENCES Vogue Dressmaking Book, Conde Nast Publication, 1949, 10th edition, page 66.v 

